This invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly, to a fluid fuel reforming ceramic catalyst that effectively increases combustion efficiency and decreases obnoxious substances in gasoline, light oil and other liquid fuels and natural gas and other gaseous fuels by reforming them and to transporting and power-generating means employing such internal combustion engines using the catalyst.
Gasoline, for example, contains approximately 30 percent of benzene, acetaldehyde and other difficultly combustible and environment polluting substances and approximately 10 percent of octane-number increasing substances, anti-freeze agents and other additives, in addition to approximately 60 percent of combustible substances. The difficultly combustible and environment polluting substances are discharged as obnoxious substances in exhaust gases as a result of incomplete combustion. Reforming these difficultly combustible and environment polluting substances into combustible substances will increase the ratio of combustible substances that are conducive to efficient combustion.
To efficiently burn the reformed substances, however, the oxygen supply (or air supply) must be increased. However, larger quantities of air inevitably contain greater amounts of nitrogen. Then, the content of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gases inevitably increases. Although some air is dissolved in fuels, not all of the oxygen contained in the dissolved air contributes to the combustion reactions. If the dissolved oxygen not contributing to the combustion reactions is activated, then the additional combustible substances obtained by reforming difficultly combustible and environment polluting substances can be efficiently burned without increasing the amount of air supplied from the outside.
Accordingly, efficient burning of combustible substances in internal combustion engines using the fluid fuels mentioned above and in transporting and power-generating means employing such internal combustion engines will be conducive to a reduction in environmental pollution and attainment of higher energy efficiency.
Thus, the object of this invention is to provide catalysts that reform difficultly combustible and environment polluting substances contained in fluid fuels to readily combustible substances, increase combustion efficiency and decrease the content of obnoxious substances in exhaust gases by activating the oxygen in the air dissolved in fuels and internal combustion engine systems utilizing a catalyst and transporting and power-generating means employing such internal combustion engines.